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Terrelle Pryor Wednesday

QB Terrelle Pryor spoke to the media after Wednesday's practice as the Raiders get set to take on the San Diego Chargers.

Q: D.A. [Head Coach Dennis Allen] announced that you’re going to start. Obviously that’s a positive step. Are you excited about getting back into it?

Pryor: Yeah, it’s definitely a positive step. Even like last week, early in the week, I definitely could have played, like I told the San Diego news, but the main thing was that the Raiders really wanted to take cautious steps with me. They thought I had a pretty short turnaround from Monday to Sunday, it was pretty much just five days, I didn’t get to rest because we didn’t get back until Tuesday. It was a pretty fast turnaround and they definitely were looking out for me and my best interest and we decided it would be best if I didn’t play.

Q: Do you appreciate that or are you frustrated by that or is it both?

Pryor: It can be both, because I believe we definitely could have beat the Redskins. It’s over with; we’re onto the future, we’re onto the next step. Now we have to have energy and be ready for the Chargers, and we will be. We had a nice long practice today and we were sharp and that’s the main thing at the end of the day. You have to be ready for this next game and move forward.

Q: Dennis also said he wants you to be yourself and not worry about anything. Is that possible to flush that from your head in terms of being cautious?

Pryor: I believe I’m 100% right now. I feel normal and God’s going to take, whatever it is, he has a story for me and whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. That’s how I live, definitively for now I just try to make the right decisions and smart decisions and be a smart person and player. Obviously if there’s three guys coming down, cramming on me, I don’t want to challenge all three of those guys, so get down. Definitely, just be myself and play football, that’s how I have to play.

Q: You’re playing the team you had your first NFL start against. When you think back to the last game of the season last year and the player that you are now and everything that has happened since then, are you almost a different quarterback, a different player completely?

Pryor: It’s funny because [offensive coordinator Greg] Olson texted me late last night and was like, ‘Your footwork and everything is completely different from the last film versus the Chargers,’ because we study that as well. He’s right; I’ve made big strides and big steps along with the progress. I have to keep on working hard and understand you’re never good enough. You always have to keep on pushing and trying to better yourself because that’s only going to help the team.

Q: Did you look at that film too?

Pryor: Absolutely. I love watching film. I love trying to see what teams are going to do to me. I enjoy watching film and I saw that film too.

Q: Terrelle, you guys have been struggling on third-down conversions for the last two games. You were on the sideline this time. Did you see anything differently from the sideline than when you’re actually behind the ball?

Pryor: We were pretty good; in the first half we were pretty good. At the end of the day, it comes down to making plays. We have to make plays and that’s not on the coaching staff. They draw up the right plays and that’s on us as players, offensively we have to make those plays. That’s definitely on us. We’re going to get better, we’re going to take steps. It was one game, like I said, and it’s the future that we’re looking for to have success on third down in the future.

Q: Matt McGloin, what have you seen from him in the quarterback room from getting to know him and how he’s been playing?

Pryor: We know he went to Penn State so he’s very smart. (laughing) All jokes aside, he’s a sharp kid and very bright in terms of football. He knows the game and he works his butt off to get better every day. Even when he wasn’t the second guy, so say he wouldn’t have reps, he’d be in the back taking reps. Seeing that, it’s just a person and a player that wants to get better. You can only respect that, that’s a guy that’s hungry. He’s a type of guy you want to have on your team that wants to get better.

Q: Denarius Moore has had two pretty strong games in a row now. His past is having a couple of good games and then going off the radar for a while, and some of that is getting him the ball. Is he a guy you want to try to involve as much as you can?

Pryor: Just like any player, I try not to single out Rod [Streater], D-Mo [Denarius Moore], Brice [Butler], Jacoby [Ford], whoever it is, [Mychal] Rivera, it doesn’t matter. If they’re in my read, they’re going to get the ball. If it’s not in my read, it doesn’t matter because I follow my reads and if he’s there when I’m looking in my read then he’ll get the ball. I don’t really go into choosing, in concepts of the pass game, but if it’s one on one and I know he’s going to win one on one than of course I’m going to go to D-Mo or whoever’s one on one. It’s hard, and when it’s a concept and the defense is playing in a particular defense, you can’t go to him just to go to him because it’s going to be a turnover or batted down and it’s just not a great decision. If he’s in the read or he’s a matchup, whatever the case may be and I like it, I’ll definitely go to him. He’s a very explosive player. I’d like to get him the ball as much as I could but there are other great players on our team as well.

Q: With [Darren] McFadden may or may not being able to play, I’m curious what you thought, watching from the sidelines, the way [Rashad] Jennings played, blocking a punt, breaking tackles, receiving game, running game; you got a good look at that from the sideline. Obviously, you’d rather be out there but what did you think?

Pryor: He’s a stud. He knows how to play the game of football and Jeremy Stewart as well. He’s going to be in there too if Darren happens to not be able to go. Guys like that you have belief in because they’ve shown they can do it. I remember Jeremy coming in last year and didn’t get many reps in practice, but late in the season last year, he filled in and he picked up blitzes that there’s no way we thought he would pick up. He’s just a sharp guy and those two guys, we’re definitely lucky to have those two.

Q: Is there an adjustment working with a different center in practice? How much of an adjustment is that, is that a concern if ‘Wiz’ [Stefen Wisniewski] isn’t able to go this week?

Pryor: I believe coach [assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tony] Sparano teaches the centers all well and he gets them to understand the game plan. Obviously not having ‘Wiz’, if he can’t go, I don’t want to say hurt us because it’s the next guy up, but I’d love to have ‘Wiz’. I believe that Andre [Gurode] will hold his own and he’ll have the line communicating.

Q: In terms of taking snaps, is it different working with him?

Pryor: In terms of that, absolutely. It’s different levels. You’re used to riding along with ‘Wiz’ a certain way or his snaps come a certain way in the games, it’s definitely something you have to get used to, you have to get extra practice with. At the end of the day it’s our job to make sure we’re on top of that and we’ll definitely be meeting extra on top of that.

Q: If McFadden isn’t playing on Sunday, would you adjust your game at all?

Pryor: I’m just going to go along with the game plan and just play, try to be a factor, try to help the team and try to make explosive plays just like I always do, and letting the game come to me. It’s definitely going to be different in a way not having Darren because he’s such an explosive player, it’s hard to replace that but Jennings is right there too. He’s a solid back and I’m definitely glad to have him on the team.